Advocating on/for Social Media

There are days when I feel like I over-post – that my online identity is TMI — too much information, be it Facebook or here on Lena’s Beat. I think, “why would anyone want to read what I have to say, or watch videos that I enjoy?” I think perhaps some will judge me as being part of the “liberal media machine” and others will say I have no life. And I’m not too proud to admit that I do care what others think — but as I sit here and contemplate it, I really want people to care about what I’m saying, too. Social networking is such an incredible way to make a statement, in a world that is ever-refreshing, updating, transgressing, and etching new boundaries in cyberspace.

I might look back ten years from now and laugh at myself or cringe in embarrassment, but I might thank present-day Lena for caring enough to share, and for wanting to have discussions about things that matter – politics, art, film, and entertainment.

I recently watched Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore on Piers Morgan, where they stood up against the mind-blowing rate of human trafficking in the U.S., and demanded that law enforcement go after the vile men who buy and pay for sex with these poor trafficked women and men. These two voices will link to millions of others through social media, myself included, which may very likely improve the situation. Check out clips of Kutcher and Moore’s interview here.

I think Kutcher said it quite well when Piers asked him about his social networking presence.

And by the way, you know, it’s one of the reasons why I’m such a big advocate of social media, is because it allows us to participate in a very real way. You can move an issue with your own voice. And you don’t have to have millions of followers. You just have to rally support…For me, I think I’ve looked at this stuff, and I thought to myself, this could be the collective consciousness. Right? Like this platform in and of itself, a little shout here and shout here, but the key was being able to drive a link into deeper, richer content into a tweet and then have that tweet be syndicated.

Yes, it bothers me that genres such as “twitterature” are gaining momentum, for I am an avid supporter of literature and prose. I don’t claim that tweeting, blogging, and updating should be placed on a bookshelf, per se. But for our world, one that is replete with soundbites and ADHD medication, perhaps social media has its place. Moreover, it is incredibly freeing (with proper accountability) to have the opportunity to say whatever we want, whenever we want it, and send it off into the world for praise, criticism, or both.

Once again, as Kutcher said it:

I mean in oppressive societies, this kind of — this kind of social media, this kind of democratization of media, is crumbling infrastructures that have existed for decades. And so to not — to say that it’s not democracy at its truest, I think it’s — I think it’s wrong. I think that’s absolutely wrong.

3 responses to “Advocating on/for Social Media”

Don’t ever stop doing what you’re doing. In country like ours that gets ridiculed for speaking the truth about government I’ve taken a stand (Bradley Manning and transparency). Its important to have people like Wiki Leaks and truth seekers all around the globe. I’ve been into this stuff like mad since about 16 years old and only now has it really gotten intense the more I read, elaborate and question the media. What they won’t tell us as truth they use to their advantage and just spin it to try and demonize people that like to use the word “Conspiracy Theorist” as a lame half-assed argument. Those are my two cents on why social media/networking has becoming extremely important in a time where it is absolutely necessary to unite instead of divide against the corridors of power (Washington DC) and beyond. Keep doing what your are doing be it question authority like I do or just talk about your interests via your blog 🙂

Why thank you! I agree that we must stand up against some of the abuses of power that are occurring in government, business, and policy. I try not to go to extremes by calling for the end of all government or businesses, but I am a passionate advocate for the underdog, and I hope my voice and blog will be a support for those who are mistreated. And when that becomes too daunting, I take a break and turn to my favorite shows and hobbies for entertainment 🙂